On Art - Alles ist Miteneinander Verbunden Art Show

 

The poster for 'Alles ist Miteneinander Verbunden' (Everything is Interconnected). This very special Art Show will take place on Thursday, April 30th, 2026 from 3:00 - 10:00 PM at Toronto's historic Foy House.

Creativity is Vital

"Some say the world will end in Fire. Some say Ice. Me, I just see fewer birds, fish, and butterflies. Plenty of concrete, though. I run to Europe, I run to the Caribbean, but coming here is the best thing I ever did.

Miami, I love you." - Iggy Pop, New Atlantis  

"Creativity is vital. By starting a dialogue this healing happens, and we start to come out of our corners." - Ethan Hawke, TED Talk, Give Yourself Permission to be Creative 

Visual Art has been around for a very long time. Since our cave dwelling ancestors drew likenesses of themselves and the animals they hunted on rock walls, to more modern versions of representing the world from a personal point of view. Painters like Diego Velázquez, Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock and Luke Nicholson took to the canvas to create memorable images using formidable creativity. 

Photographers such as Richard Avedon, Andy Warhol, Jearld Moldenhauer, and Nicholé Velásquez (no relation to Diego) put their eyes to a lens's viewfinder and gave us remarkable portraits that capture the Élan Vital of their subjects, vivid snapshots of everyday life from around the world, and complex photographic collages based on a multiple exposure technique. 

Some individuals with little formal Artistic training, such as myself, have taken Faber Castell markers, pastels, and graphite to the page to render their own impressions of people and places meaningful in their lives. 

One of my most memorable experiences viewing Art happened in October 2016 when I visited the Musée des Beaux Arts in Montréal for the show Focus: Perfection - Robert Mapplethorpe. His black and white photos capturing flowers, celebrities, and most notoriously his erotic journeys in New York City are powerful. In stillness and silence you're invited to contemplate and form your own opinions. 

The exhibition was even more interesting for me because I had previously read Patricia Morrisroe's biography of the Artist and Philip Gefter's Wagstaff: Before and After Mapplethorpe. The latter is a biography of Mapplethorpe's boyfriend and patron Sam Wagstaff. It's one of my favourite reads of all time. 

Why I Make Art

While attending high school in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, I had sketchbooks. Then I put down my drawing tools for several years. It took the COVID-19 Pandemic for me to return to drawing with real enthusiasm.

From 2018 - 2020 I lived in Berlin, Germany. After leaving Berlin at the end of September 2020 I moved to Saskatchewan, where I lived with my family for four months. Because of Covid-related lockdowns and other reasons I was left with lots of time on my hands. 

When I was not contemplating the nature of life, along with why God had seen fit to place me in Purgatory rather than promote me to Heaven or send me down to the Inferno's 9th Circle of Hell to commune with Satan, I was tempted to drink.

Oh, was I tempted to drink... 

The alternative was to use my time productively. Since wir alle haben die gleichen 24 stunden. 

That something was drawing. During 2020 - 2021 I created some pieces that deal with relationships and homoerotic themes. I remain quite proud of those works. You can find some of them for sale on Saatchi Art here. My favourite Artwork from that time is Sean Ford Peeing in a Sink. It features American pornographic actor Sean Ford, and is a comment on selling sex for money. The world's oldest profession. 

Alles ist Miteneinander Verbunden - an Art Show

Which brings me to the present. After some thought I decided to make a big project for myself in 2026. That project is Alles ist Miteneinander Verbunden, an Art Show that will take place on Thursday, April 30th, 2026 at Toronto's historic Foy House at 92 Isabella Street.

In English the theme means, "Everything is Interconnected." Something that is increasingly apparent on our fragile, beautiful planet.

Here is the show's Statement of Purpose:

"We are all connected in this world. Human beings to each other through their relationships. Humanity to the natural world that we have been entrusted to care for, and the natural world to humanity in that we depend on its continued good health for our survival.

This show features a series of works by emerging and established Artists from Berlin, Germany, and Toronto, Ontario, that explore these connections - namely those we have with each other, and those we have with the natural world.

It is my hope you will leave tonight with a deeper appreciation of just how complex, and interdependent, these life sustaining relationships are." 

This will be a very special evening. Featured artists include myself, Boris von Brauchitsch, Nicholé Velásquez, Flavio Belli, Paul Bellini, Josh St. John, Raymond Helkio, David Bateman, Luke Nicholson and Draga Jovanovic.  

Alles ist Miteneinander Verbunden - An Art Show

Where: Foy House, 92 Isabella St., Toronto, ON

When: Thursday, April 30th, 2026. 3:00 - 10:00 PM 

Art as a Way of Making the Future

"Tomorrow belongs to those who can hear it coming." - David Bowie

My personal hero and Patron Saint, David Bowie, lived a life characterized by continual transformation and growth. He gave many insightful interviews on any number of subjects. One of my favourite interviews had Bowie discussing taking risks as an Artist. 

I agree with his insight that making Art is not about meeting other people's expectations. In this same interview he said the best place for an Artist to work is a space where you have swum out and don't feel your feet are quite touching the bottom.

"Always go a little further into the water than you feel you're capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don't feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom you're just about in the right place to do something exciting."

Ladies and gentlemen - I give you Alles ist Miteneinander Verbunden (Everything is Interconnected).  

Berlin Part 2: Es Geht um Beziehungen

 

Taken outside of the Hau Hebel am Ufer theater on Stresemannstraße.
The show's title struck a chord with me.

 

 

 

 

 

"You're still haunting me. It sounds unfounded. Although it's apathy, what goes around you see, breaks the boundaries. Walk with a smile, and it's all just a style since you put me on trial today." - 'The Other Side' by Drab Majesty

Touching down at the BER Flughafen in mid-April, I had no idea what to expect in Berlin this time around. Living here from 2018 through 2020 was an emotional, action packed experience with not much time to pause and reflect.

Though in hindsight, as I get older, I see it as one of the most important periods in my life.

For various reasons when I left Berlin at the end of September 2020, I felt that I had let myself down. Fallen below the high standards I set for myself. I spent the following 4 months in Saskatchewan, which at the time felt a bit like Purgatory.

Three plus years, some Therapy, and many emotional Band-Aids later, I had no idea if Berlin would have anything left in store for me.

I made a pleasant discovery within 2 days of arriving - Der Stadt Spricht. The city itself will speak to you if you're willing to bitte Ruhe sein.

Places that spoke to me the most this time included Hansa Tonstudios at Kothener Straße 38 (a Recording Studio that was used in the past by David Bowie, Depeche Mode, and U2), and an Ehemaligen Frauengefangnis that is currently used as an Artist's Atelier. 

Through walking and biking around the city, all the while putting my ear to the ground, I got a strong impression that Berlin had missed me a little. I certainly missed the city while I was away. Part of what I had yet to figure out in 2018 - 2020 is that es geht um Beziehungen. Hence the importance of the entry I wrote shortly before leaving Berlin on how life is the giving and receiving of Respect.

Meeting with old friends again felt like putting the pieces of a Puzzle together. It helped me create meaning from the 2 years I spent living in Europe, and is currently giving me optimism for the Zukunft. 

Particularly nice was re-connecting with echt Berliner und Berlinerrin, such as Chantal from the weltweit bekannten 'Chantal's House of Shame.' These people taught me about what really matters in life, and how to get the most out of it. 

Surprise! Es geht nicht um Geld.

Wir mussen unseren Beziehungen in dieses leben shutzen und verteidigen. Manchmal haben leute mit der Macht die Beziehungen benutzen für Selbstbereicherung. That kind of behaviour has lasting consequences. Namely vergiftet Beziehungen.

My personal feeling is that the more we must contend with the Erde's rapidly changing weather and the hard choices that are surely coming, Selbstbereicherung will become less and less important. We have already taken more than our fair share of resources from the Erde. 

Instead, the quality of our relationships will become ever more important. I think of the ending of the 1999 film American Beauty. At the end of his life, Kevin Spacey's character recalls his relationships with his wife and daughter as having been the most important things in his life. 

While nice to have, a Pied a Terre in another country, the sports car, the fancy clothes... you can't take it with you.

Es geht also um die Beziehungen, die wir zueinander haben. 

I want to end this entry by thanking all the Berliners who extended their hospitality to me this time around. Also - the food is still delicious. Highlights include Mustafa's Gemuse Doner und Kebap, and Scheer's Schniztel unter die Oberbaumbrücke.

Berlin - ich liebe dich. Bis Nächstes Mal. 

The Author at BER Flughafen on 27.04.2024.

Brett Morgen's 'Moonage Daydream' Captures Bowie in all his Colourful Complexity

 

Brett Morgen's impressionistic documentary on rock legend David Bowie hits its' mark, capturing a complex human and diving deep into what motivated him.

"Never play to the gallery (laughs). But you never learn that until much later on, I think... I think it's terribly dangerous for an Artist to fulfill other people's expectations. I think they generally produce their worst work when they do that. The other thing I would say is that if you feel safe in the area you're working in, you're not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you're capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don't feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you're just about at the right place to do something exciting." - David Bowie interview from the 1990s'

Director Brett Morgen's Moonage Daydream Paints David Bowie in broad strokes while revealing a warm, humane philosophy of life

Moonage Daydream, a film collage exploration of David Bowie's career, begins with cold space. Specifically the surface of the Moon and a crumpled, empty Astronaut's uniform with a smiley face on the chest plate. As this image fades out, there is a fade-in of Hallo Spaceboy. And just like that, we're plunged into the action.

Director Brett Morgen assumes his viewers are familiar with Bowie's signature achievements and outsize impact on popular culture. So in making the film, which has a rubber stamp from the Thin White Duke's estate, he goes for a splashy neon collage of a movie that explores major themes in the man's life and body of work. 

Narrated mostly by Bowie himself, Moonage Daydream covers well-known events in Bowie's life from approximately 1971 (Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars) through the early 1980s' (Let's Dance). His last album, 2016's Blackstar, and Bowie's death shortly after the album's release is barely touched on. 

Which is a good thing, in my opinion. By allowing Bowie to narrate the bulk of the picture his philosophy of life is explored - both the light and the dark. Alienation and Isolation - well-known Bowie themes - are covered here in his emotionally distant relationship with his parents. His family suffered from, "an awful lot of emotional-spiritual mutilation," in the Artist's words.

We also get to see him offer his own version of spirituality. There are surprisingly warm reflections about the importance of travel, being connected to other human beings, and the pure joy of a life filled with a large variety of experiences. 

I particularly identify with his desire to make every day count. The man hated wasting time. When answering a 'Proust Questionnaire' in 1998, to answer the question: "What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?," Bowie responded: "To have discovered the early morning." That time of day when it feels as if the world belongs to you, and you alone. 

Though I am familiar with his work, and own all of Bowie's albums, I was still surprised by the intellectual playfulness and flexibility he displayed. It's well articulated in the audio and video clips Morgen chose to use.

While overall an excellent ride, I do have two criticisms of Moonage Daydream. Firstly, the lack of context and chronological progression could be off putting for viewers who are not well versed in David Bowie's work and personas. (There was a lot of work - in addition to the albums, Bowie painted, acted on stage and film, sketched, and made sculptures in his spare time.) Watch for a clip of Bowie acting in a Broadway staging of The Elephant Man. Morgen uses it quite effectively - it's a very emotional moment. 

My second criticism is that, though they use clips from the music video again and again, we never hear The Heart's Filthy Lesson from 1995's superb Outside album. This song is my favourite David Bowie song. It addresses mortality and the danger of wasting time. 

In the best part Bowie sings, "Paddy will you carry me? I think I've lost my way. (Heart's Filthy Lesson, Heart's Filthy Lesson.) I'm already five years older, I'm already in my grave. I'm already." The song is more potent than ever with the News being filled with natural disasters of all shapes and sizes. 

He's telling us to get on with it. It's a message I've taken to heart.

So for all the Bowie-philes and longtime fans, go see Moonage Daydream. In IMAX, if possible. The sound is intense and wonderfully overwhelming at times. You will enjoy yourself. 

For people who have only a vague idea of the man's career and significance, best to take a pass on this one.

'Life is the Giving and Receiving of Respect' - Berlin, Deutschland. 13.08.2018 - 30.09.2020

 

Tempelhofer Feld am Sonnenuntergang, 30.05.2020

"Ich weiß nicht wohin ich als nächstes gehe, aber ich verspreche es wird nicht langweilig sein." - David Bowie

In the course of just over 2 years of living in Berlin, one of the best pieces of advice I received came from an established Artist friend in early September this year: "Life is about the giving and receiving of Respect." The advice resonates particularly in Berlin where 'Respect' and 'Distance' are words to live by.

Since 1900 Berlin has survived two World Wars, division by the Berlin Wall, and much more. The city has lived through more than its' fair share of trauma. So it makes sense that Berliners would place a high value on the concept of Respect. As for the Distance part of the equation - that's even more important since the Corona Virus arrived in Germany.

I'll come back to the concept of Respect later in this entry. First I want to say a few thank yous to my favourite city for letting me live through certain experiences over the last two years. In no particular order:

Thank you for letting me experience Berlin alone. Many places, such as Tempelhofer Feld at Sunset, or the Sowjetisches Ehrenmal in Treptower Park, were experienced this way. I enjoyed being left alone with my thoughts in the shadow of History.

Thank you for the small signposts and nudges you gave me along the way. Reminding me to slow down and enjoy being a Flaneur in my adopted home. Sometimes the signposts were on a wall in the form of Gedenktafel (placards that mark historically significant buildings). At other times these signposts were directly underfoot - as is the case with the Stolpersteins that give the names, as well as birth and death dates, for Jewish people who were persecuted by the Nazis.

Thank you for letting me experience Berlin in my own time, and in my own way. As the locals say, "Alles kann, aber nichts muss sein."

Last but not least, a big "Danke Sehr" to all the parties I was lucky enough to shake my ass at. These were consistently Fabulous even through Corona times.

Anali Goldberg (with Headdress at left) and her Dancers. Else Open Air Club & Biergarten, Berlin, Deutschland. 24.09.2020

I want to give a shout out here to Anali Goldberg. By far one of Berlin's best, and most original performance Artists. Yesterday he performed in an open air venue near the Spree. The short musical number with his backup Dancers was hilarious. It had a very Berlin feel to it. Spontaneous and Fun.

At this point I want to return to the idea of Respect and why it's so important. In a world where Capitalism sometimes distorts our understanding of the important things in life, the idea of Respect reminds us that other people are what comes first. When we treat each other with Respect we make each others' lives better. A positive feedback loop is created.

When we treat each other Disrespectfully a feedback loop is also created. But this one poisons our relationships and creates a rather dark and unpleasant cycle that can be difficult to escape from.

Walking through Berlin one becomes aware of the patched together Hasslich quality of some neighbourhoods. The city is by no means a unified whole. It has been shaped and defined by many different peoples - Russians, Turks, Americans, and Canadians - to name a few. This diversity of Nationalities and life experiences means Respect is critical if people are to live together peacefully.

Berlin somehow manages to do this. It is one of the most resilient cities on Earth. For readers who want a better understanding of Berlin's rich history, I recommend reading Berlin: Imagine a City by Rory MacLean. He tells the stories of Berliners who made their mark such as Frederick the Great, Marlene Dietrich, and David Bowie among others.

I have been lucky enough to feel the Magic in Berlin more than once. I attribute some of this Magic to something left behind by significant events that took place here. The feeling isn't something I can really describe in writing. But when you experience it, you will know what it is. 

Even as I prepare to pack my suitcases for a return to Canada, I know that I will return to Berlin. Being here fuels my creativity and desire to grow as a person. The city surprises me when I least expect it. The parties are inventive, sometimes intense, and always great Fun to be part of.

I am very much in love with Berlin. Berlin is my Home.

I will be back. But first a few Chapters (and hopefully this damn Corona Virus) need to pass.

On Berlin

Berlin has Risen and Fallen More Than Once. We're About to See it Rise Again. 

Sunset over Schlüterstraße. Berlin, Germany. 01.19.2017

Germany has come a long way since the days of Otto von Bismarck and his famous, "Blood and Iron" speech. If one were to trace Germany, and Berlin's, history on a graph it might resemble a Sine Wave. 

Going up with Bismarck's unification of Germany, and then down with Kaiser Wilhelm II and the First World War. With the ascension of Hitler and the Nazi Party a brief period of economic growth followed by the destruction and death of World War II.

Having just spent a month in Berlin, I think it's safe to say the city is coming 'up' once more. There are construction projects underway in several neighbourhoods, and Germany can only become a more desirable place to do business in. Particularly with the United States under Trump being so unpredictable for at least the next 4 years.  

Fragments of Berlin's history can be found everywhere; sometimes you almost trip over them because there are so many. It's almost impossible to understand the Berlin of 2017 without knowing something about the city's long and sometimes dark history. Reading Rory MacLean's Berlin: Imagine a City sheds light on this history by using each chapter to tell the story of a person who did something of consequence while living in Berlin.

Many of MacLean's subjects are famous - Marlene Dietrich, David Bowie, and to a lesser extent Christopher Isherwood are all household names. 

Dietrich made her career as a film star who fled Nazi Germany for the United States. You can still find plenty of artwork, including one of Berlin's famous bear statues, devoted to her at the Intercontinental Hotel on Budapester Straße. 

David Bowie arrived in Berlin in 1976 to kick a Cocaine addiction and re-energize himself creatively. The result was his 'Berlin Trilogy' of Low, Heroes, and Lodger. At the Hansa Studios located at 38 Köthener Straße he made wonderfully edgy electronic music with Brian Eno and others that has stood the test of time.

My personal favourite chapter of Berlin: Imagine a City is devoted to author Christopher Isherwood. While in Berlin he lived near Nollendorfplatz, now one of the city's defined gaybourhoods. There Isherwood wrote Goodbye to Berlin, which depicts a city on the edge of becoming something else under the Nazis. Much is hinted at, and deeper meaning is left for the reader to piece together.

Part of the point of coming to Berlin for Isherwood (and many other gay men) was the opportunity to act on his desires and live the life he wanted for himself.

As MacLean writes: "Isherwood didn't want to live forever in his head. He wanted to touch, and be touched. He was a sensual boy, hemmed in by an English timidity of physical contact... (In Berlin) Isherwood could touch and be touched, stroke and sink into surrender." 

Today Berlin is still a place where you can do this, regardless of whether you're gay or straight. The wonderful directness of many Germans, together with the existence of certain clubs and venues, is a gift. The emphasis here is on having sex and a good time - not on endless game playing. Which is as it should be.

Even with the armies of tour guides and pieces of history all around you, what's worth paying attention to most is Berlin's future. Having been there for a month, it`s not hard to imagine a time when Berlin is the beating heart of Europe. A capitol for tech savvy, open minded, curious people to grow and thrive in. 

To all the Earthbound Extraterrestrials and Misfits reading this - take note. 

Berlin is a place for you. 

Closet Monster is the Best Movie of 2016 - Warm, Sensual, and More than a little Freaky

Closet Monster's Hero Oscar Madly (Connor Jessup) and Wilder (Aliocha Schneider) share an intimate moment.

I first noticed posters for Closet Monster around downtown Toronto in mid to late July. Vividly colourful, it features the faces of the film's three principal characters overlapping each other in red, blue, pink, and green tones. My decision to see the movie was made by gut instinct and some chatter among my friends.

I was not disappointed. Director Stephen Dunn's movie about Oscar Madly's coming-of-age in small town Newfoundland is 2016's best movie. It takes you like a street fighter while dispensing with the genre's tired clichés in favour of something more aggressive and visceral.

We are introduced to a very young Oscar, who has just received a talking Hamster (Isabella Rossellini) from his parents, who are divorcing. Mom we never get to know very well. Peter Madly (Aaron Abrams), Oscar's father, is a charismatic fellow with dark emotions he keeps in check - just barely.

Soon after his parents separate, Oscar witnesses a gay bashing near his school. Of the most brutal kind. The victim has a metal rod shoved up his ass. We are left to surmise that, if he survives at all, he lives on as a paralyzed wreck.

Sitting at home with his Father, Oscar watches a news report on the bashing. He asks Dad why this happened. Peter tells him it's because the kid is gay. He follows this up with a suggestion that young Oscar cut his hair - the idea being that long hair is effeminate. Something only a queer would have.

Then we fast forward in time. An 18-year-old Oscar played by Connor Jessup is applying to schools to further his budding interest in monster makeup. Best friend Gemma (Sofia Banzhaf) doubles as Oscar's model and muse.

Here is where reality begins to bend in the film - to wonderful effect. Oscar's interest in Monsters goes beyond a desire to photograph Gemma when she's done up like a Sea Creature. In Oscar's mind homosexuality and monstrosity are intimately linked. His fear of the gay beating he witnessed as a young child is holding him back from finding true connection and intimacy.

Oscar's work at a local hardware store brings him into contact with Wilder (Aliocha Schneider). Wilder is the most deliciously blunt of free spirits. At one point while Oscar is stocking shelves, Wilder taps him on the shoulder and asks: "How much for a blowjob?" This blond haired Adonis is only in town for a summer. Beyond that Wilder's future will take him to the sensual overloads of Berlin - or so he claims.

Things only become more intense from here on in. I won't give any more away. It's best experienced by watching the movie.

Director Stephen Dunn has done such a wonderful job on so many levels that it's difficult for me to overpraise this film. When Oscar finally maneuvers Wilder into bed (or maybe it happens the other way around) there is one of the most satisfying, sensual scenes I've ever watched.

The central question Closet Monster asks the viewer is this: How do you unfuck yourself after a difficult experience?

Rest assured, the question is answered in a powerful, definitive way.

***

Musings on 2016 - The Death of David Bowie and Rise of Donald Trump

For me, personally, 2016 has been a mostly good year. I'm very much looking forward to moving ahead with various projects in the New Year. Projects that include finishing a long delayed first draft of my novel Marginal People.

2016 was a crappy year if you believe all the memes floating around on Facebook and other social media platforms. It's easy to see why, given all the deaths of important artists and cultural figures. As well with Donald Trump's election - it's hard to stomach the fact this orange haired, spray tanned carnival barker will be the next President of the United States of America.

There is so much I could say about why Trump's election does not bode well for the world. I'll leave it with re-posting a quote from an older blog entry that was spoken by Trump's former rival in the Republican primaries, Marco Rubio.

"The politics of resentment against other people will not just leave us a fractured party. They're going to leave us a fractured nation. They're going to leave us as a nation where people literally hate each other because they have different political opinions."

If only Rubio had stuck by those words instead of changing his mind and endorsing Trump. So many Republicans did - men whose careers would suggest they have principals. People you would think are capable of standing up to the Cheshire Cat smile of the Donald. Apparently not.

A second event that marked 2016 for me was David Bowie's death on January 10 in Manhattan. He was a singer, songwriter, actor, painter, and earthbound extraterrestrial to be reckoned with. Even today much of his music still feels like the future.

Particularly the 1977 album Heroes. It was Part 2 of Bowie's Berlin Trilogy. Tell me that you don't feel the future coming at you, head on, in the crisp mix of pianos and synthesizers on Beauty and the Beast.

"Nothing will corrupt us, nothing will compete. Thank God Heaven left us, standing on our feet. My, my... Beauty and the Beast."

Have a wonderful New Year's Eve - make sure the people you love know it. We have an unpredictable year ahead of us.

See you all in 2017.

Loving the Alien: Remembering David Bowie (1947 - 2016)

David Bowie from one of the promotional stills shot for 1977's 'Heroes' album. There was always something extraterrestrial and freaky about The Man Who Fell to Earth. And it wasn't just his unequally-sized pupils.

"The song itself… is made up of juxtapositions and fragments of information. [It] doesn’t have a straightforward coherent message to it. None of the album has any message; it’s really a compression of information, it’s just information: make of it what you will... The filthy lesson in question is the fact that life is finite. That realization, when it comes, usually later in life, can either be a really daunting prospect or it makes things a lot clearer."

-David Bowie on the track The Heart's Filthy Lesson from a promotional film for Outside, 1995

Loving the Alien: Remembering David Bowie (1947 - 2016)

There was always something freaky about David Bowie, wasn't there? And I don't just mean his unequally sized pupils that were the result of a childhood fight. Looking at photographs of him from the 1970s you're struck by just how... unusual this man looks. Thin face, craggy British teeth, thinner lips, and then your attention returns to those eyes again.

David Bowie, musician, actor, painter, and well-rounded extraterrestrial being died just days after his 69th birthday and the release of his final album, Blackstar. In a career that spanned several decades and enough different artistic influences and costume changes to make your head spin, Bowie took music lovers and his fellow Outsiders on a wild ride.

His music often addressed hard subjects that many people shy from in polite conversation. Alienation, isolation, spiritual pain, and struggling with inner demons — what the late William S. Burroughs once referred to as, "the Ugly Spirit."

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars from 1972 was the album that really jump started the man's career. Before Ziggy, with his vivid red hair and unforgettable costumes, Bowie had been a long-haired folk and rock n' roll singer not widely known.

Post-Ziggy almost any serious music lover in North America and Europe could name at least one song from the albums that followed. Heroes, the title track from the album of the same name, was recorded at Das Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin during Bowie's time in the city. The studio's location was right next to the Berlin Wall, which divided the city from 1961 to 1989. Bowie watched his longtime producer Tony Visconti and a backing vocalist making out beside the wall as Bowie looked out from one of the studio's windows; this served as the song's inspiration.

The half German version of the song Heroes / Helden has always been one of my favourite Bowie tracks. I discovered it as a teenager living in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Heroes' theme of lovers facing impossible odds has a power that's undeniable. It will remain one of Bowie's signature achievements.

In 2013 I had a chance to visit the David Bowie Is exhibit at the Art Gallery of Ontario. One of the pieces from the exhibit is Bowie's handwritten lyrics for Heroes. It was very moving to see the genuine article close enough to touch — separated from my hand by only the thinnest piece of Plexiglass.

Fast forward several years in the man's career to 1995's Outside concept album where Bowie played Nathan Adler, a detective out to solve a grisly art crime. My personal favourite song from that album is The Heart's Filthy Lesson. In the music video Bowie played up the idea of tribalism, body art, and a future where everyone belongs to his or her 'tribe.'

The 'Filthy Lesson' from the song, according to Bowie, is that our lives our finite: "I'm already 5 years older, I'm already in my grave, I'm already..."

David Bowie's career had too many highlights and songs that I love to mention in this short space. What impressed me most about the man is his continuing need to experiment and push the envelope artistically. He may have been singing to us as Major Tom, Ziggy Stardust, The Thin White Duke, or another character. Repeated listens reveal the truth was in the lie. He used pain we all feel, no matter what walk of life you're from, and turned it into timeless art.

Lazarus, the music video for the single from Bowie's final album Blackstar was released on January 7 — just days before his death from Cancer. In the video we see Bowie sing, "Look up here, I'm in Heaven." People who know this kind of trivia will remember Lazarus as someone rising from the dead.

Bowie is lying on a bed with white bandages wrapped around his head - jacket buttons for eyes. Near the end he bolts upright and sings, "Oh, I'll be free. Ain't that just like me?" Before falling back onto the pillow. He is smiling throughout this moment.

Lazarus was his goodbye note to us.

Sitting here, looking out my window at the snow drifts outside, I'll tell you this:

I will always Love the Alien. Thank you, David.

Rest in Peace.

David Bowie's New Music Video - The Next Day

David Bowie's new music video 'The Next Day'

 Bowie appears as a Christ-like figure in the video. Wonderful work (and good music, too)

A Week in Halifax & A Review of 'The Next Day' by David Bowie

Children's favourite Theodore the Tugboat sits in the Halifax harbour on an overcast Sunday morning.

Reading Week in Halifax

I had the privilege of spending the last week of February visiting a good friend in Halifax during his Reading Week. The trip took on particular significance for me because it marked my first steps into the unknown after leaving the marketing job I held for 2 and a half years with a Toronto based company.

I've always believed in the power of reinvention, and Montreal is a good place indeed to reinvent yourself. Quebec really is the 'Unique Society' because for all of the language confusion and bureaucracy, there is plenty of human warmth here - at least that's what I find in Montreal. I'm starting down the road to reinvention now, as I have a new job. So far it's going quite well.

Back to Halifax. My friend Phil was kind enough to let me stay at his place in the downtown core. Conveniently, it was close to where the airport bus let me off. Of course, as I soon discovered, everything is close to everything else in Halifax! I was there years ago with my parents to see the Tall Ships, but I had not returned to the Maritimes until a few weeks ago.

Taking a ferry ride from Dartmouth back to Halifax proper after dark was a real highlight of the trip for me. As was wandering around Point Pleasant Park on the south tip of the Island. I also logged a few hours at one of Dalhousie University's libraries, all the better for getting work done (on vacation, no less!) Eating seafood at a restaurant named Phil's Seafood (no joke) was another memorable experience.

Next time I go adventuring in Nova Scotia I feel a camping trip is in order. Cities are great, but as I get older I'm finding that I become more and more interested in nature. If anyone knows of good camping locations in the Halifax area, please leave a comment and let me know. I always like to get several ideas together, then do my research before I travel. Especially something like a camping trip, which, as every former Scout knows, requires you to Be Prepared.

David Bowie Takes Us Into The Next Day

Your country's new

Your friends are new

Your house and even your eyes are new

Your maid is new and your accent too

But your fear is as old as the world - Love is Lost, David Bowie

Welcome back David Bowie! There's at least one 66-year-old on the planet who isn't afraid to surprise the world with an album that's dark, relevant, and rocking — all at the same time. When most musicians of Bowie's generation would be content to do a covers album (Phil Collins) or a greatest hits tour (Peter Gabriel - I write this with flattery as I saw his Back to Front show and loved it) Bowie decided to surprise everyone with something new and unexpected.

Apparently he was working on The Next Day in New York City for 2 and a half years, keeping the musicians and everyone else involved in the project bound by a strict confidentiality contract during the album's recording. And they all kept silent. 

Until last January, when Bowie released Where Are We Now? the first single from The Next Day, on his 66th birthday.

I've had The Next Day playing in my apartment every day for the last week, so I think my brain is saturated enough with the Thin White Duke's new soundscape for me to write a proper review. 

First, it's certainly a David Bowie album. Uneven offerings have always been part of his signature. While tracks like The Stars (Are Out Tonight) and Valentine's Day seduce the listener with smartly written lyrics and solid musicianship, other songs, such as If You Can See Me, goes nowhere with its repetitive lyrics.

However, on the whole, The Next Day is absolutely worth a second listen and several encores. Aging, death, school shootings, lost love, fear — the dark side is on full display here. And this time Major Tom isn't hiding the darkness with one of his personas. The songs and their themes are all the more powerful for coming from (I presume) a place of honesty.

I particularly dig the tracks Love is Lost and Boss of Me. The first is all snarling guitars, a steady drum rhythm, and a stellar organ track to Bowie singing about losing love, then losing your mind. Say goodbye to the thrills of life, Where love was good, no love was bad. This packs a hard punch in our age of information overload and alienation, both courtesy of the Internet and modern communication technologies. Leave it to the master of artifice and stagecraft to put his finger on what scares us witless.

The second track, Boss of Me, is a straight up rock n' roll love song. Kind of like the Rolling Stones' Under My Thumb, except here the roles are reversed. She has him under her thumb. There's also something about a small town dying in here. Read in to this as much as you want. I did. A lovely track.

I should mention that Bowie's delivery is better than ever. It's like the man's voice is some kind of delicious alcohol that has been aging in a barrel, or a ripe cheese. His vocals are rich and emotion filled. Superb work, Mr. Bowie.

 

Then there is the symbolism of the album's title and cover artwork. The Next Day features a basic white square slapped across the classic Heroes album cover from 1977. It's clearly a reference to Bowie's Berlin Trilogy (Low, "Heroes", and Lodger). Some of the songs have a similarity to that period; I believe he did this to pull his fans and others who pay attention to his work out of glossy nostalgia for what was, and into what is. The sun will set, and then rise again. The next day will always arrive.

The album's title and William Burroughs references, the song Dirty Boys clearly borrows from Burroughs' novel The Wild Boys, are a call to pay attention to the here and now. The Burroughs influence, also present in 1974's Diamond Dogs, suggests a future in ruin / world ending apocalypse. This would certainly make Bowie consistent for returning to a theme.

Turning my attention to the man himself, as of writing this he has not given a single media interview to promote the album. Nor has he announced any tour dates. His bandmates on The Next Day have suggested that in an age of social media oversharing and people 'living' through reading friends' status updates on Facebook, Bowie has opted to let the music speak for itself. It's certainly an interesting approach, but I, for one, would like to see this articulate space alien on a television near me.

Here's hoping this month brings a tour announcement. If Ziggy and his band come to Montreal you'll find me in the front row at the Centre Bell.

Merci. Until next time.

Prophet Moses Znaimer — The Second Act

Last weekend I read an excellent profile of Toronto media mogul Moses Znaimer in the Sunday edition of The Toronto Star. Written by Star feature writer Cathal Kelly, the article's focus is Znaimer's purchase of religious channel Vision Television, part of his expansion plans for his 'Zoomer' media empire, still in its' infancy. Znaimer's new message is all about (and for) the Boomers, the generation born from the mid 1940s' to the mid 1960s'.

But wait, what's that? Never heard of Moses Znaimer? O.K., time for a quick primer:

No, he did not part the Red Sea. But he did something nearly as impressive in his younger days (the article refers to Znaimer as '66-ish' — at 25 he was a producer for the CBC. By 30 he was running CITY-TV, which brought television Muchmusic, Fashion Television, and some piss poor camera work. The article refers to much of this programming as, "empty calories." Indeed.

Even I, at the ripe old age of 23, remember watching Electric Circus back in the day. This was one of Much's flagship programs that featured dance music and plenty of hot, sweaty dancers to go with the beats. What I remember most is plenty of crotch shots. Oh, and the killer intro courtesy of 'Hang On, Here We Go' from Jet Fuel.

Wikipedia tells me the show ran from September 16, 1988, to December 12, 2003, so it must be so.

But back to Moses. He was pushed from the helm of CITY-TV in 2003. The Star article doesn't make it clear why, only saying, "(CITY-TV was the) fief he built, but never fully controlled."

Znaimer's founding of CITY-TV put him on the cultural map as someone well aware of the energy and appeal of the young-uns. Much of the station's programming was made for 20-somethings and teens (I think the focus on 'tweens' came later, when that term was invented)

Flash forward to 2009. Znaimer is aggressively selling his idea of pitching products and services to the 50 and over crowd. Or, as Znaimer puts it so well to a room of Proctor & Gamble reps in Kelly's article, "I've got big news for you. I've got the money. I've got the money and I've got the girls."

You go, Moses.

I found the Star profile of Znaimer to be one of the better profiles I've read lately. The writer isn't afraid to show readers the darker, rougher sides of Znaimer. I really enjoyed reading about a Canadian personality with a hard edge to his character. You can read Kelly's profile of Moses Znaimer online here.

On a side note, lately I've been driven to listen to this fantastic live version of David Bowie's 'I'm Afraid of Americans' repeatedly. The song, posted here on YouTube, comes from a concert of Bowie at the BBC. This version is great particularly for the way Bowie changes his tone during the refrain, near song's end, of, "God is an American."